Notes: This particular combination of left- and right-side tires was introduced at Pocono in June 2001, making this the fifth consecutive race they will be used at this two-and-a-half-mile track . . . Winston Cup teams will also use this combination at Pocono again in July and Indianapolis in August . . . in addition, Busch and Truck Series teams will run this combination at both Gateway and Pike's Peak in 2003 . . . as on all NASCAR ovals longer than one mile, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Pocono . . . the air pressure in the inner liners must be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Goodyear Quote - Goodyear Quote -- Mark Keto, Lead Engineer, Stock Car Tire Development: "This Goodyear tire set-up has been run with good results and very positive feedback from teams for the past two seasons at Pocono.. Tires won't be much of a concern this weekend, with teams more trying to work on the optimum chassis set-up for this challenging, triangular-shaped track. Each of
the three corners at Pocono have a different radius and degree of banking, so getting the best possible set-up for one's car becomes a compromise among all three."

RACE BONUS INFO

The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is $140,000 at Pocono for leading the points and winning the race (Sterling Marlin last won the award, $20,000 at Darlington on March 17, 2002). The $360,000 annual award is paid at $10,000 per race to the point leader at the end of each event if the driver is also the winner. The award increases by $10,000 each week the it goes unclaimed. If the point leader is not the race winner at the end of the year, the balance of the award is distributed among the top-10 finishers in the drivers point standings(6-1-2003)

44 Races since...: Leader bonus has been won. It's been 43 races since the NASCAR Winston Cup points leader won a race and took home the NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus. Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. continue to pace the field in the battle for the Winston Cup. Entering the race at Pocono, 171 points separate the two. If the winner at Pocono is also the NASCAR Winston Cup points leader at the conclusion of the event, he would take home the $140,000 check, as long as Kenseth starts at Pocono, he is the only driver who can leave the track leading the points. Sterling Marlin last won the award, $20,000 at Darlington on March 17, 2002, it was NOT won by #15-Waltrip at Daytona, it rolled over to Rockingham.(6-1-2003)

MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus: is $5,000 at Pocono. The MBNA Mid-Race Leader Award is $10,000 to the Winston Cup driver who leads the race at midway. If the driver wins the race they receive a $5,000 bonus. If the MBNA Mid-Race Leader fails to win the race the $5,000 bonus rolls into the next week (Jeff Gordon last won the bonus, $25,000 + $10,000 at Martinsville on Apr 13, 2003). No word on if a driver gets the award if the halfway is under yellow at the time or if the award is given out if the leader is not participating in the program and if it would go to the next place car at the time. The 2003 MBNA Mid-Race Leader Winners:
Daytona: Michael Waltrip, $15,000* (plus $5,000 bonus)
Rockingham: Rusty Wallace, $10,000
Las Vegas: Dale Earnhardt Jr., $10,000
Atlanta: Bobby Labonte, $25,000* (plus $15,000 bous)
Darlington: Mark Martin, $10,000
Bristol: Jimmy Spencer, $10,000
Texas: Matt Kenseth, $10,000
Talladega: Matt Kenseth, $10,000 (Jimmie Johnson led at halfway, assume the team does not participate in the program)
Martinsville: Jeff Gordon, $35,000* (plus $25,000 bonus)
California: Jamie McMurray, $10,000
Richmond: Bobby Labonte, $10,000
Charlotte: Bobby Labonte, $10,000
Dover: Ryan Newman, $30,000 (plus $20,000 bonus)
(* won race and bonus)(6-1-2003)

IN-CAR AUDIO SITES

QUALIFYING, PRACTICE and RESULTSnews and links

Stewart wins the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. #20-Tony Stewart won the Pocono 500, his first win of 2003, his first win since Watkins Glen in 2002 (27 races) and his first in a Chevy and Chevy's first win at Pocono in five years. #6-Mark Martin was 2nd, for the 5th time at Pocono. The race ended under caution after #1-Jeff Green got punted by #5-Terry Labonte when both drivers moved down at the same time. Points leader #17-Matt Kenseth was third and added to his lead a bit. The unofficial top 10:

Cautions 5 for 24 laps

Caution 5 - Laps 199 - 200: #1-Green got rearended by #5-Labonte with Green hitting the now dirt reinforced guardrail hard. Green walked away ok. Labonte felt Green was trying to block him as they both wen low at the same time and Labonte's momentum took him into Green's car. Behind that wreck, many cars got together including #16-Biffle, #4-Skinner, #9-Elliott.Caution 4 - Laps 193 - 197: #97-Busch cut down a tire and hit the wall.Caution 3 - Laps 153 - 157: #21-Rudd stalled on the track.Caution 2 - Laps 55 - 61: #88-Jarrett lost control and backed into the turn 1 wall, similar to Schrader, Jarrett got out of the car quickly and walked away ok. Jarrett thinks a right rear trie cut down or the tread came off the tire as he felt a vibration then the car turned around. Think it is time for SAFER in turn 1 at Pocono?Caution 1 - Laps 9 - 16: #49-Schrader backed into the turn 1 wall hard with the car erupting in flames after the car rolled completely over once, Schrader was able to scramble from the car. Schrader said he had a massive brake failure and he purposly backed the car into the wall, didn't want to hit head on or drivers side.

RACE NOTES: (as noted on TV or MRN Radio)
#25-Nemechek and #21-Rudd have returned to the race after repairs the rearends
Many leaders and cars are pitting for gas only laps 170-180 range.
#16-Biffle came in and got gas only on lap 166
Most drivers came in during the 3rd caution
Green flag stops occured in the lap 122-131 range.
Green flag stops occured in the lap 87-98 range.
#7-Spencer is back on the track after getting a new rearend housing, came back around lap 75.
During the 2nd caution most of the cars pitted, just laps after the green flag stops.
#17-Kenseth ran out of fuel on his lap 51 pit stop just as he got int othe pits and had to be pushed out and lost a ton of time.
Green flag pit stops are occuring bwtween laps 45-51 range.
On lap 34, #7-Spencer almost hit the wall, came back and he and #6-Martin got together, both continued on but the front fenders of both cars garnered some damage.
Around lap 19, #9-Elliott wacked the wall while leading and pancaked the right side of the car and is falling back in the field a bit now.
On lap 18, #40-Marlin cut down a tire and had to pit, he was able to pit fast and get out on the lead lap.
Most cars pitted during the first caution, #9-Elliott only took gas only and got out first.
On lap 5, #16-Biffle got into #41-Mears, no major damage and both kept up to speed.
On lap 3, #24-Gordon cut down a left front tire and had to pit but was able to pit and stay on the lead lap.Re-air: the race will be re-aired on Speed Channel, Wed, June 11th, 8:00pm/et and Thurs, June 12th, at 1:00am/et and at 3:00pm/et.Lineup/Qual Results/Lineup Links at Jayski's Pocono 500 Grid page.Unofficial Race Results at ThatsRacin.comMotorsportsOneNASCAR.com - unofficial(6-8-2003)

Harvick/Benson UPDATE: NASCAR.com and ThatsRacin.com have #29-Harvick finishing 24th (91 points) at Pocono and #10-Johnny Benson 25th (88 points), while some AP results have Benson 24th and Harvick 25th. A Press Release from MBV states Benson finishing 25th. Will know for sure around 12:00noon/et on Monday when NASCAR releases the official results from the race.(6-8-2003)UPDATE: the official results at NASCAR.com, show #29-Harvick 25th and #10-Benson 24th.(6-9-2003)

Stock Car Fans Newsletter Rumblings - Pocono: #20-Tony Stewart snapped a 27-race losing streak as he won the Pocono
500 under caution on Sunday. What we thought was going to be a three lap shootout turned out to be only a one lap sprint as #1-Jeff Green and #5-Terry Labonte got together on the Long Pond straight and the race back to the caution was led by Stewart over #6-Mark Martin. This was Stewart's first win since he took the road course event at Watkins Glen last August, and he becomes the 12th different winner of the 14 races this season. His 16th career win gives him sole possesion of 39th [27th if you count ties] on the all-time win list.
If #49-Ken Schrader and #88-Dale Jarrett had known this was gonna be a weenie roast, they'd have brought some mustard. Two fiery crashes at the end of the front-straight but both drivers were okay.
#6-Mark Martin (2nd) had his best finish since he was 2nd at Rockingham last November.
#54-Todd Bodine (11th) had his best finish since he was 11th at Texas in March.
#19-Jeremy Mayfield (15th) had his best finish since he was 8th in the Daytona 500.
#41-Casey Mears (21st) had his best finish since he was 15th at Las Vegas in March.
#14-Larry Foyt led a lap today for the first time in his Winston Cup career. He's the 34th different driver to lead a lap this season....last
year's number was 46
STREAKIN....Matt Kenseth has 12 Top-10's in the last 13 races.
The Rookie Report: Greg Biffle (20th) was the top-finishing freshman for the 6th time this season (tho he was sitting on pit road at the end).
He was followed by Casey Mears (21st), Jack Sprague (22nd), Tony Raines (30th), Jamie McMurray (32nd), and Larry Foyt (41st).
This Week's Elevator....UP: A tie for the Operator of the Week between Matt Kenseth (+22) and Ricky Craven (+22). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Dale Jarrett (-35), followed by Kurt Busch (-26), and Joe Nemechek (-23). This is Op #2 this season for both Kenseth & Craven.
#40-Sterling Marlin re-joins the Top-10 this week in 10th. The top nine positions remain unchanged as Matt Kenseth adds 5 points to his lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. #22-Ward Burton gains the most spots (25th to 20th) while Robby Gordon (10th to 15th) and Joe Nemechek (13th to 18th) fell the commensurate number of spots.(Stock Car Fans Newsletter - all comments from this post, direct to them, thanks)(6-8-2003)

Saturday Practice and Happy Hour Practice at Pocono has been cancelled due to rain. For up to date weather see The Weather Channel - Long Pond, PA.Forecast for Sunday looks good: Cloudy, 69°F, Precip: 20% .(6-7/8-2003)

Farthest back to win: Only three of 50 Pocono races have been won from a starting position deeper than 20th. Terry Labonte was victorious from the 23rd spot on the grid in 1989 and from 27th position in 1995, and Jeremy Mayfield prevailed from 22nd in 2000.(Winston Salem Journal). Labonte starts 11th and Mayfield starts 33rd on Sunday.(6-8-2003)

Johnson wins pole for Pocono 500: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Budweiser Pole for the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway with a speed of 170.645mph. #12-Ryan Newman is on the outside pole. Missing the race were #37-Derrike Cope and #89-Morgan Shepherd. Three teams used their last provisionals until Sonoma [unless there are 43 cars or less show up at Michigan], #4-Mike Skinner, #14-Larry Foyt and #49-Ken Schrader. For the unofficial lineup and qualifying results, see my Jayski's Pocono 500 Qualifying Page for qual order, practice speeds, provisional rank, diff between practice and qualifying speed.(6-6-2003)

Ramblings - Pocono: #48-Jimmie Johnson wrestled the pole away from #18-Bobby Labonte at Pocono Raceway, then had to wait for (as he referred to #12-Ryan Newman) the Rocket Man to make his run as the final car out. Johnson ended up 4/100th's of a second quicker and takes his first pole of the season and 5th of his Winston Cup career. The last time he started from the top-spot was at Talladega last October....but qualifying was rained out and we lined up by points that day. The last time he took a Bud Pole by time was at Richmond last September. Johnson also becomes the 10th driver to qualify for next February's Budweiser Shootout. Got the looks of a full field already.
#6-Mark Martin (6th) has his best starting spot since he lined up 3rd at Rockingham in February.
#88-Dale Jarrett (7th) has his best starting spot since he lined up 6th at Darlington last September.
#54-Todd Bodine (14th....and a frequent flyer this weekend) has his best starting position since he qualified 10th at Darlington in March.
STREAKIN....Ryan Newman has 12 Top-10 starts in a row. #20-Tony Stewart has 5 Top-10 starts in the last 6 races.
Two cars on the Trouble Train....#37-Derrike Cope (for the 5th time this season) and Morgan #89-Shepherd (his first Cup attempt of the year). But it may behoove these guys to show up next week....see next paragraph.
The provisionals went to: #31-Robby Gordon, #23-Kenny Wallace, #49-Ken Schrader, #45-Kyle
Petty, #4-Mike Skinner, #74-Tony Raines and #14-Larry Foyt. Gordon's was a freebie, but Schrader, Skinner, and Foyt now join John Andretti on the OOP (out of provisionals) list. With the exception of Foyt, they're bare till Infineon. Foyt & his #14 team skipped Martinsville.....they won't get their next provisional till Daytona 4th of July weekend.(Stock Car Fans Daily Newsletter)(6-7-2003)

Some Qualifying Notes:
#89-Shepherd and #37-Cope will miss the race
#01-Mike Wallace and #54-Todd Bodine qulaified 1st and 2nd respectively at Pocono Raceway, then fly to Nashville to qualify for the Busch Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.(6-6-2003)

Friday Practice is is over at Pocono Raceway. The fastest was #20-Tony Stewart at 170.927mph, followed by #8-Dale Earnhardt Jr. at 170.843, #12-Ryan Newman at 170.823, the rest odf the top ten were #6-Martin, #88-Jarrett, #97-Busch, #25-Nemechek, #15-Waltrip, #16-Biffle and 9-Elliott. Slowest are #14-Foyt at 157.423 and #89-Shepherd at 162.367. The Event Qualifying Record is held by #2-Rusty Wallace at 171.625mph in June 2000 while the Track Qualifying Record is held by #20-Tony Stewart at 172.391mph in, July 2000, so those records look safe.
For speeds see ThatsRacin - Friday practice.(6-6-2003)

The Qualifying Order is up for the Pocono 500. 45 cars/drivers are listed, so two will go home. First driver due out to qualify is #01-Mike Wallace. Last driver due out, so we will have to wait until the very end to see who wins the Bud Pole is, #12-Ryan Newman. For the links, see above.(6-6-2003)

Pocono Stuff: Starting position has proven vital at Pocono Raceway as eight of the last 11 races at the 2.5-mile track have been won from a starting position of fourth or better. Only five NASCAR Winston Cup races at Pocono have been won from a starting position worse than 15th. #49-Ken Schrader won three of the four Bud Poles at Pocono in 1992 and 1993. In the 18 races since then, there have been 14 different pole winners at Pocono. The farthest back that a race winner at Pocono has started was 27th by Terry Labonte in the 1995 Pocono 500.(Jasper PR)(6-4-2003)

2 x 300 = Milestones: #25-Joe Nemechek and #22-Ward Burton both will attempt to make their 300th career start at Pocono Raceway this weekend.(PR's)(6-3-2003)

Entry List is up for the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway. 46 drivers/teams are entered, the 42 full time teams plus #37-Derrike Cope, #46-Carl Long, #89-Morgan Shepherd and #91-Casey Atwood. See above for the link.(6-3-2003)45 drivers now as #46-Carl Long has withdrawn.(6-3-2003)

How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph

How to break a tie during qualifying?(same speed/time) When drivers are tied for a starting spot during qualifying, it is broken by owners points standings(not drivers). For provisionals standings see the Jayski's Provisional Status page

TRACK/RACE NEWS

Some Pocono 'Improvements': during Speed Channels coverage of Pocono 500 qualifying on Friday, they showed the guardrail area between turns 1 and 2 where Steve Park hit and flipped last July, it has been protected and backed up and reinforced with dirt to help soften the blow, were it to happen again. Also, it appears the work Pocono did to resolve their drainage problem (remember the water seeping up through the track last year (cancelling qualifying in June) has seemed to work as the area has gotten a lot of rain in the last month and of course today it has rained all day. So far no signs of any water seepage on the track [on Friday at least and hopefully none on Sunday](6-7-2003)

2 Races Likely at Pocono in 2004: NASCAR President Mike Helton said Friday that Pocono Raceway, which has hosted two Winston Cup races per season since 1982, will likely have two more next season. Though Helton said the 2004 schedule isn't complete, he said, "I don't see anything changing in Pocono. We explained we had no intentions of forcing people to move dates or give up dates, but that we were interested in talking to owners of multiple facilities about if there's a better way to use dates in other market areas," Helton said. "Pocono is distant from most of those conversations. Now if (Pocono Raceway owners) Joe and Rose (Mattioli) come to us with some sort of idea or concept, we'd listen to it."(Times Leader)(6-7-2003)

Pocono's France award goes to Jack Roush: Winston Cup car owner Jack Roush [#'s 6,16,17,97,99] has been named the recipient of the 2003 Bill France Award of Excellence, presented annually by Pocono Raceway. The award, first presented in 1977, is named for the late NASCAR founder and is presented to a person, company or organization that has made outstanding contributions to the sport. The award is a sculpted and highly polished piece of anthracite mined in Pennsylvania and will be presented in a ceremony on June 7 at the speedway.(ThatsRacin.com)(4-26-2003)

Pocono and Taxes: The owners of a handful of ski resorts and the state's two NASCAR tracks would pay lower taxes while surrounding property owners would pay more under legislation that passed the state House of Representatives late Monday afternoon, according to critics. The bills - which the Senate passed in June - were approved by more than 50-vote margins, in spite of opposition from Tigue and fellow Democratic state Reps. Kevin Blaum of Wilkes-Barre and John Yudichak of Nanticoke. If Gov. Mark Schweiker signs them into law, they would cap the amusement taxes that host municipalities and school districts could charge to Pocono Raceway and Nazareth Speedway to 40 percent of the cost of a ticket. Currently there is no limit. Supporters of the bill, including state Reps. George Hasay, R-Shickshinny, and Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township, argued that the region could lose its two big-time NASCAR races at Pocono Raceway, not to mention the business of local skier traffic if the legislation doesn't pass. The jobs and tourism money that NASCAR and skiing bring to the region "over time will be a bigger issue than the taxes in those areas," said Eachus. During the past two years, Eachus has accepted roughly $1,800 worth of free tickets to NASCAR races at Pocono Raceway, though he has said he gave the tickets to constituents whom he wouldn't name. Hasay has taken at least $500 in campaign contributions from the owners of the raceway, who have given more than $54,000 in contributions to the campaigns of state politicians ranging from state Sen. Charles Lemmond, R-Dallas, to state Rep. John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, the House Majority Leader, to state Sen. Robert Mellow, D-Peckville, the Senate Minority Leader. Mellow, who co-sponsored the amusement tax-cut amendment, couldn't be reached for comment, but Eachus and Hasay said their "yes" votes had nothing to do with the tickets and the contribution, respectively. Those tax cuts would likely mean more profit for operators, not cheaper tickets, predicted Tigue and Yudichak. The township had collected $300,000 a year from the track from taxes levied on ticket sales for its two NASCAR Winston Cup series races, the Pocono 500 and the Pennsylvania 500. That amounted to 48 percent of the taxes collected by the township, according to state Rep. Robert Godshall, R-Montgomery, who took the floor to support the measure. He estimated that Pocono Raceway would still pay $125,000 a year under the bill and would continue paying property taxes, asserting that the current system "is just plain not fair. It's making our people noncompetitive and it has to stop." Eachus and Hasay asserted that the owners of Pocono Raceway would be able to use the tax savings to invest in the track and offset bids made to NASCAR by the owners of new race tracks in New Jersey and Florida, who want to host the races now held here.(Times Leader)(9-24-2002)

DRIVER/TEAM NEWS

Kimmel Cleared: NASCAR cleared reigning ARCA champion Frank Kimmel to drive in Sunday's Pocono 500 in relief of Bill Elliott, despite Kimmel not getting any seat time because of bad weather on Saturday. Elliott, who broke bones in his left foot in an accident at The Winston all-star race, has not decided whether he will use a relief driver Sunday, but car owner Ray Evernham has been making preparations in case one is needed. NASCAR typically requires relief drivers to have spent some time in the car during a practice prior to the race. "We went already and spoke to (Winston Cup series director) John Darby and (NASCAR President) Mike Helton just to make sure if Frank didn't get a chance to practice the car if he's cleared, and he is cleared," Evernham said. "He's driven plenty Winston Cup races, and he's driven here in a Winston Cup race. He has raced here quite a bit and was on track yesterday. If Bill gets out of the car, Frank is cleared to drive it."(ThatsRacin.com)(6-7-2003)

BAM Sponsor for Pocono:Blair.com, which has been an integral part of the BAM Racing marketing effort, will serve as primary sponsor of the #49 Dodge of Ken Schrader in this week's Pocono 500. "We're excited to help one of our marketing partners, especially this close to their home town," said Beth Ann Morgenthau, who owns BAM Racing along with her husband, Tony. Blair headquarters are in Warren, Pa., approximately 250 miles from the speedway. "Blair.com has been a big part of BAM Racing, and we're hoping to give them a great run at their home track," Morgenthau continued. "The association with BAM Racing, Kenny Schrader, Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau.has provided Blair Corporation with a unique opportunity to sponsor.an.up and coming.NASCAR team and an exciting means of promoting our.growing Blair.com web site to value-driven consumers,” said Jeffrey Parnell, Blair Corporation’s Vice President of E-commerce. Blair Corporation sells a broad range of women’s and men’s apparel and home products primarily through direct mail marketing and its Web site at www.blair.com, in addition to other Web sites.(Williams Company PR)(6-6-2003)

Bodine to race at Pocono and Nashville: Todd Bodine driver of the #54 Army National Guard Ford in Cup and the #92 Monstor.com Chevy in the Busch Series will be forced to miss Friday's first Busch Series practice. Mike McLaughlin, who has been helping with the practicing and qualifying of the #92 in all non-companion events this season, will once again be sitting in the driver's seat for the initial practice. If it happens that Bodine is not able to arrive in Nashville in time for Friday's Bud Pole qualifying, McLaughlin will also be qualifying the #92.(Eclipse Management PR)(6-6-2003)

Double Duty for Wallace: #01-Mike Wallace will pull double duty for the second time this year as the NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series part ways. The Winston Cup Series will be competing at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA, while the Busch Series will be competing in Nashville Superspeedway. Wallace will fly back and forth between the two venues throughout weekend. Mark Green is standing by to qualify the Busch car if Wallace is unable to make it to Nashville prior to qualifying.(Biagi Bros. Racing PR)(6-5-2003)

Update on Elliott's Broken Foot; Kimmel to stand by: Bill Elliott: "Right now we're looking at several options (for Sunday's race at Pocono). I have been able to right-foot brake in the past at some places, but it's not the normal way of what I'm looking for. To have driven as long as I have and try to change all of a sudden, as competitive as things are today, you just can't up and change what you're doing in the middle of the stream. It's difficult to do, and I've not been able to do it. You do a lot of shifting and a lot of different stuff at Pocono. It's not hardly as bad as Sears Point or Watkins Glen, but it's a long day because it's a 500-mile race. Right now I don't know what we're going to do, whether we try to look at it when we get there or what. I'll know more tomorrow (Wednesday). I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. He's going to re-X-ray my foot and see where it is. The last X-ray showed the same as the one before, which they tell me X-rays lag behind until your bones kind of bridge together and that shows a sign of healing. I've not seen that yet, but I'll know more when I go see the X-ray tomorrow."
Four-time ARCA RE/Max Series Champion, Frank Kimmel, will be on hand at Pocono Raceway this weekend in the event that the No. 9 team needs a replacement driver.
Elliott is scheduled to the same car he ran last year at Pocono, Indianapolis and the 2001 Homestead-Miami race. Elliott drove this car to victory in all three events.(Evernham Motorsports/Golin Harris PR)(6-4-2003)

Atwood back with Evernham at Pocono UPDATE: Mountain Dew LiveWire, a new Dew that will be available from Memorial Day through Labor Day, is sponsoring the #91 Evernham Motorsports Dodge Intrepid for a one-race deal at the Pocono 500 on June 8, 2003, as part of its "summer-only" product launch. "The exposure a brand can get from this type of primary sponsorship, even from a single race, is outstanding," said Angelique Bellmer, director of Mountain Dew for Pepsi-Cola North America.. "The partnership between Evernham Motorsports and Mountain Dew has been a great fit, and now we™re looking forward to leveraging the excitement of racing for the launch of Mountain Dew LiveWire."
"Evernham Motorsports test team, in conjunction with our partners at Dodge, is proud to promote our partner Mountain Dew's LiveWire brand," Evernham said. "It's a win-win for all involved. We are able to provide the exposure Mountain Dew commands and the opportunity to continue to grow our test team initiatives." Casey Atwood has been selected by Evernham Motorsports to drive the #91 racecar for the June 8 event in Pennsylvania. In last year's ARCA race at Pocono, Atwood took the checkered flag after starting from the pole position.
Mountain Dew is currently an associate sponsor of Evernham Motorsports, driver Jeremy Mayfield and the #19 team known as the Dew Crew. Combining the unique citrus taste of Mountain Dew with a bold orange flavor, Mountain Dew LiveWire initially will be available in 20-ounce plastic bottles, with plans to expand into two-liter plastic bottles and 12-packs of 12-ounce aluminum cans. Mountain Dew LiveWire is the trademark's third line extension since the introduction of Diet Mountain Dew in 1988.. Mountain Dew Code Red debuted in May 2001, with Diet Mountain Dew Code Red following in May 2002.(Evernham PR)(5-1-2003)UPDATE: Ray Evernham said he would like to run his #91 Dodge, a research and development team, in four or five Winston Cup races this season. The team's first race is the June race at Pocono, when former Evernham Motorsports driver Casey Atwood will return behind the wheel. Atwood, who won the ARCA race at Pocono with the same R&D team at Evernham Motorsports, remains without a full-time ride this season. "He's still under contract to me, but he is allowed to do other things," Evernham said. "I told him when stuff came up, when opportunities came up, we would help him. We got an opportunity to run this race at Pocono, which is one of Casey's good tracks, and hopefully we can turn it into something more for him or us or both." Evernham said he hoped Atwood, who drove the #7 Dodge for Ultra/Evernham Motorsports most of last season, would have found a new ride by now. Evernham would like to run the #91 at the July race at Daytona, as well as the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. Former Busch series driver Hank Parker Jr. is also slated run at least one race in the #91 this season.(ThatsRacin.com)(5-3-2003)

See the 2003 Team Chart which has links to past news for each team and info on each team.